On Rad's Radar? - wi-fi Archivestag:blog.tmcnet.com,2011-06-13:/on-rads-radar//512016-11-02T22:30:50ZPeter Radizeski of RAD-INFO, Inc. talking telecom, Cloud, VoIP, CLEC, and The Channel.Mobile Eats Worldtag:blog.tmcnet.com,2016:/on-rads-radar//51.539102016-10-31T16:44:12Z2016-11-02T22:30:50Z Everyone says that mobile will win. A former executive at Synnervse believes that 5G will trump fiber. When your career is wireless, you think 5G is going to be awesome. When your career has been wireline, you don't think...Peterhttp://rad-info.net/
Everyone says that mobile will win. A former executive at Synnervse believes that 5G will trump fiber. When your career is wireless, you think 5G is going to be awesome. When your career has been wireline, you don't think anything is better than fiber.

Yet, this headline: "75% of internet use will be mobile in 2017 according to forecast" is kind of misleading. "Zenith Media has released a forecast which says that mobile devices will account for 75% of global internet traffic in 2017." Globally that would appear to be on point since much of the world is mobile only. Laptop and desktops aren't booming. I wonder if tablets are considered mobile or only if they are on a 4G plan.

Mobile internet use passes desktop for the first time, study finds. "The combined traffic from mobile and tablet devices tipped the balance at 51.2 percent, vs. 48.7 percent for desktop access, marking the first time this has happened since StatCounter began tracking stats for [global] Internet usage."

"For someone in telecom, the surface-level answer seems obvious. Millennials grew up in the age of cell phones and the Internet. They expect constant connection, mobility, and innovation. This explains why millennials are shaking up personal mobility and communications. But how is it that they're having such an impact on business communications and collaboration too?" from this report.

To continue, "Millennials are becoming the majority in the workforce. They're already the largest generation in the U.S. workforce and should be more than half of the global workforce by 2020. Millennials are becoming managers and leaders. Their preferences and early-adopter tendencies are shifting the conversation about tech in the workplace."

This might be why so much emphasis is on 5G and mobility, but let's not forget that the 2 RBOCs get about half their revenue from mobile, so they will hype up the biggest half of their business.

I don't know how 5G will trump fiber to the home, especially for Boomers and older. Reading tablets and phones with old eyes is a challenge, believe me.

As we have recently witnessed with IOT and hacked phones, security will be an issue. A big issue. No idea how we handle that going forward since people still use password for password (and 1234 for PINs).

Fiber has had set-backs, especially with Google Fiber, but it is also on the rise. More than 600 independent telcos have FTTH projects in the works. Getting pole access via telco, power and government entities is a maze of red tape. Yet cell towers are facing bigger hurdles as no one wants one in their neighborhood. Companies like Crown Castle and Zayo are building out small cells along their dark fiber routes to help 4G fill-in. No idea how dense it will need to be for 5G -- or the lasting effects of that many radios and wi-fi routers per block.

What about the economic effects of fiber? "The evidence is mounting: investment in fiber improves the economic performance of a community as well as its quality of life," said FTTH Council President and CEO Heather Burnett Gold. Would fixed 5G present the same economics?

We will see a certain amount of the market go wireless only. "The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control paints the picture of a growing mobile first society in the U.S., with nearly half (45.4%) of U.S. households wireless only," from the CDC's National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).

5G will change things for a few companies. Point to Point licensed wireless has made a few CLECs happy (and profitable). But it isn't for everyone or for every where.

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Copper is Coming to an Endtag:blog.tmcnet.com,2016:/on-rads-radar//51.538702016-10-05T19:06:25Z2016-10-06T20:26:56Z After writing about outages being the new normal, I received a letter from the cableco about battery replacement for my voice line (SIP from separate cable modem). As I watch Hurricane Matthew, I wonder how many elderly and infirm...Peterhttp://rad-info.net/
After writing about outages being the new normal, I received a letter from the cableco about battery replacement for my voice line (SIP from separate cable modem).

As I watch Hurricane Matthew, I wonder how many elderly and infirm still have POTS lines.

Verizon workers can now be fired if they fix copper phone lines for DSL, according to reports (and HERE). Verizon wants people to buy fixed wireless and 4G LTE-A in place of anything copper.

Certainly, VZ needed the money when it sold off VZT in Cali, Texas and Florida to Frontier. It had to pay the FCC $10B for spectrum - and that is what the sale price was to Frontier. But it wants out of the union labor based telco business. Buying Yahoo and AOL is a way to be a mobile and entertainment business. So copper has to go.

[credit to unsplash]

Windstream is using copper for G.Fast and VDSL2 in Project Excel as it beefs up broadband in its ILEC regions. Their ARPU is up, which is what they need - to pay for the upgrades AND to keep Wall Street happy AND to pay down debt.

AT&T uses copper for VDSL2 for the now retired brand U-Verse. "AT&T notes that "AT&T Fiber" may not actually mean fiber -- the telco noting that "under the AT&T Fiber umbrella brand we will use a variety of network technologies." That's likely to include wireless broadband, and should it ever come to market, AT&T's AirGig initiative which utilizes power lines." [DSLR]

After Google Fiber finished up its acquisition of WISP, WebPass, it started thinking about fixed wireless in places, instead of always actual fiber. Why? It got exhausted trying to jump through hoops with local governments for rights of way, pole attachments and more. Then there was the matter of the electric companies who also own poles. And finally dealing with the ILEC, who also owns poles, and who along with cable was suing to slow it down. Louisville being a good example.

Google Fiber reminds me a lot of Covad and the DLECs (and Earthlink's Muni wi-fi project): Good idea, poor execution, no telco experience, learning the lessons all CLECs know the hard way: ILECs will screw you to hamper competition. So will cable. Monopoly mentality just can't be changed.

It would be nice if the copper plant could be rolled up into a nationwide REIT (similar to CS&L), so that EoC, DSL and T1s could still be utilized by alternative carriers. It is the one thing that other CLECs find a use for XO: EoC. We'll see how it plays out.

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Conversations with Clientstag:blog.tmcnet.com,2016:/on-rads-radar//51.536562016-06-03T17:51:46Z2016-06-03T20:52:08Z There are other areas of the business that you can help a prospect. Having a conversation about network is easy. Too easy. Too comfortable. Try something new. Mary Meeker's annual Internet Trends report was released this week. She makes...Peterhttp://rad-info.net/
There are other areas of the business that you can help a prospect. Having a conversation about network is easy. Too easy. Too comfortable.

One: There are now about 3 billion global internet users, but user growth is stalling at about 9% year-on-year. Smartphone sales are slowing, as is the yearly growth in the number of smartphone users, down to 21% from 31% last year. There will still be a market for bandwidth, but the it will not be lucrative. Revenues need to diversify from network.

Two: The rising Snapchat generation: Millennials communicate with text, but Generation Z prefers to communicate with images. There are now over 3 billion images shared daily between Snapchat, Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp--all but one of which are owned by Facebook. 55% of Pinterest users use the site to find products they want to buy. Messaging apps are moving from simple text tools to communicate with friends to platforms for commerce. It will make selling simple VoIP solutions difficult, because smartphone and apps beat a Hosted VoIP solution. This will make it even harder on the remaining VoIP Providers.

Have you thought about selling data center? If they have an extensive WAN or MPLS network, a data center may be involved. QTS is turning the Sun Times building in Chicago into a large Tier 3 data center. It will have with 317K SF of capacity, 24MW of power and have fiber connectivity from 5 carriers. If you need help selling colocation, call the experts at COLOTRAQ.

If you want to stick with just bandwidth, how about managed WLAN or managed wi-fi solution for bigger buildings? Cablecos offer it. Some telcos. ADTRAN, Ruckus, Cisco. In a world of IOT and mobile devices, managing the wireless network is a pretty big problem to solve.

Don't want to sell mobile devices? How about mobile expense management? Stay tuned for a podcast on Monday from Wireless Watchdogs.

Have you thought about Microsoft - and riding the wave of hype around Office365, Sharepoint and Skype4B? If you have read any of my blogs, I mention Skype4B often. There is demand for it.

WAN Monitoring is getting louder. Master Agents have added circuit monitoring. AireSpring offers it under the AireNMS service mark. Most VARs and MSPs offer RMM (remote monitoring and management) of desktops, laptops and servers. This is similar.

Colocation, Backup, Security, Monitoring, WLAN and mobile expense management are all items ancillary to what you are selling now. You would be doing a disservice to yourself and your customers by not mentioning them.

There will be a gulf of disapproval. (see diagram) I think that gulf is about 5 years old now. Time to get through the Dip, grab the bull by the horns and change.

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Telecom Tidbits #2435tag:blog.tmcnet.com,2016:/on-rads-radar//51.536112016-05-16T19:01:49Z2016-05-16T19:42:48Z A lot going on (especially with M&A). The FCC approved the Charter-TWC-BHN merger, despite being fined for blocking third-party modems. Frontier says that the 30K people affected by the transition (and who still have issues) will get credits and...Peterhttp://rad-info.net/
A lot going on (especially with M&A). The FCC approved the Charter-TWC-BHN merger, despite being fined for blocking third-party modems.

Frontier says that the 30K people affected by the transition (and who still have issues) will get credits and should get over it as 30K represents less than 1% of their customers. The Florida Attorney General jumped on the PR bandwagon to wag her finger at Frontier. When you deregulate phones and then give a pass on an acquisition like this, you can't do more than wag a finger.

Sprint just remembered that they have a fiber network. It only generates about $600M in revenue for them currently - about the same as the revenue VZW makes on IOT.

This is offbeat: The FCC issued an Order ($100K fine) resolving a call completion investigation involving inContact.

Evolve IP took a majority investment from a private equity firm, Great Hill Partners. It is a cash infusion for growth and ramping up. " The Company's services are currently deployed in four continents and 15 countries, to more than 1,300 commercial business accounts with more than 100,000 users, licensed seats and managed end points." This investment makes it a little harder for someone like Vonage to scoop up Evolve IP.

Vonage spent most of its acquisition fund buying twilio's biggest competitor, Nexmo for $230 Million. This is CPaaS, communications platform as a service space that Twilio has owned. This is the elastic VoIP space. It will be the fourth platform that VB will be running, which is an expensive proposition. It is a business more like wholesale VoIP Orig/Term than it is about retail VoIP, which is Vonage's bread and butter. This begs the question how do their salespeople sell this versus UCaaS? Two entirely different businesses.

Diane Meyers at IHS released their Top 10 UCaaS players scorecard: 8x8, Vonage, West, RingCentral, Mitel, Verizon, Star2Star, Broadview Networks, Fuze and Nextiva. 600K seats puts you at the top of the heap. "Landing just outside the top 10 were Comcast, ShoreTel, Cox, CoreDial and Windstream."

Phone Companies, Channel and Other Newstag:blog.tmcnet.com,2015:/on-rads-radar//51.529462015-05-29T21:18:53Z2015-05-29T22:25:59Z Considering my client has been waiting 2 months to port DIDs from an AT&T PRI to Birch POTS lines, no kidding AT&T is not a Phone Company any more! Plus I have other clients that AT&T is calling to...Peterhttp://rad-info.net/

Considering my client has been waiting 2 months to port DIDs from an AT&T PRI to Birch POTS lines, no kidding AT&T is not a Phone Company any more! Plus I have other clients that AT&T is calling to tell them to get off the copper. Move to fiber. The company only has one T1 technician for large areas (covering 5-6 central offices).

"We don't view ourselves as a phone company anymore," said Ralph de la Vega, the company's longtime mobile chief who took on greater responsibilities beyond phones after a company reorganization. [source]

AT&T is focused on Latin America and other global expansion; TV (hence the DirecTV acquisition it is still waiting for); US cellular with MDM and IoT; and home automation. It is now doing what Sprint tried to do 6 years ago by leading the cellular ecosystem with applications, tracking, etc. Even Verizon is getting out of the phone business. It is selling its stakes in FL, CA and TX to Frontier.

Europe is trending with all-Wi-Fi-based voice and data service. The US has a few versions of this - like Republic Wireless, FreedomPop, and Cablevision.
Cablevision owns Freewheel, a wi-fi only device "powered by cableco's wi-fi hotspots". Is there enough wi-fi coverage to supplant a cellular data plan? Not yet anyway.

"Are carriers - now branching out beyond circuits and voice into all manner of cloud services, vertical offerings and even professional services - bringing channel partners along on this ride?" Good question from CP. In some cases, YES. In some cases, a specialized service provider like West IP or InContact make a better case for a channel partner.

I don't know how well EarthLink's retail offerings are pulling in the channel, but the story is right. It just depends on how many channel partners are selling retail (and trust EarthLink).

How many Channel Partners are out there? Another good question. At one time, it was said that the telecom channel was 7,000 strong. Just agents is probably in the 3500 range. Then on the VAR side, what used to be estimated at between 42,000 and 65,000 has probably shrunk to about half of that on the high side - 32K. Many VARs are still in business but doing other things like programming, integration and other tech work. Just selling stuff was never what they liked to do. But we can fight over these numbers any time you want.

A collection of start-up pitch decks. Look at the difference between deck 1 and 2 for MatterMark. I am coaching at Startup Surge Tampa next Friday. This will come in handy.

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The Latest Buzz(words) to Offertag:blog.tmcnet.com,2015:/on-rads-radar//51.528572015-04-22T17:42:30Z2015-04-22T19:22:50Z The CLEC crowd is trying to move beyond the legacy services of network and minutes. Hard to do when customers still want to buy it. In much of the marketing, the services with the most buzz are: Unified Communications...Peterhttp://rad-info.net/
The CLEC crowd is trying to move beyond the legacy services of network and minutes. Hard to do when customers still want to buy it. In much of the marketing, the services with the most buzz are: Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS), Managed WiFi and mobility.

Under UCaaS I will include Collaboration, so Lync, Office 365, Sharepoint, Dropbox, conferencing flavors (audio, web, video), contact centers and the like. Most just sell the voice piece. Some of it has to do with the buyer. Most buyers only know what they know (see further down in this post). Do they have the time (and patience) to learn what they don't know? How UC can make the business flexible and competitive? In my experience, not always.

Managed WiFi is getting a push from Cisco, ADTRAN, EarthLink (and their partner Airtight). Technically, this is just another network play; but it also has to do with mobility. That's the problem: no one has responsibility for it in the organization. It makes for a good managed servcie to offer. Add some analytics and it can sell itself.

Mobility is by far the biggest. If you had the Internet of Things (IoT) to that tent, the circus is huge. Remember BYOD and the issues that corporations faced? Still going on, but now more companies are looking for MDM (mobile device management). A couple of CLECs - Mettel and TelePacific have nice bundles with MDM. You should look at them.

Rumor has Google launching an MVNO in the middle of a heated price war from the cellcos (that is killing the MVNO business). AT&T has mobility in the APEX wholesale platform. Tech Data has its TDmobility which sells all 4 cellcos and nearly every device. If you like selling replacement stuff, get a piece of this business. there is a lot more to it than just handsets, since there are solutions wrapped around verticals. Take transportation for example. Vehicles are tracked via GPS. Those devices that UPS and Fedex use to track packages (made by Zebra) are computers with 3G connectivity. Think Kindle with a scanner for ideas on how almost any business might use GPS tracking, object tracking, person (employee or customer) tracking. well, it is mostly tracking. We went from inventory control to people control. And IoT and wearables will be more intrusive. But the applications are wide ranging. "IoT is like the Internet in the 1990s"

"Executives at organizations of all sizes and across countless industries experience many of the same challenges - from improving customer experience to staying ahead of the technology curve to cutting costs. One common challenge many executives face is avoiding the stigma of being seen as "out of touch" with what is going on from a day-to-day perspective in their organizations. Unfortunately for them, that's exactly what a recent Evolve IP survey exposed." A survey from Evolve IP shows that many executives -- your buyers - are not informed about the latest tech. It is your job to educate them. Otherwise we replace you with a kiosk.

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About Product, Startups and Other Things (by Fred Wilson)tag:blog.tmcnet.com,2015:/on-rads-radar//51.527842015-03-15T17:38:09Z2015-03-20T18:21:19Z In this interview of Fred Wilson by Jason Calacanis, they chat about VCs, investing, startups, Apple, Kickstarter, blogging, Net Neutrality and more. On blogging, Wilson remarks that it helps him articulate what he is thinking (at 48 min). He...Peterhttp://rad-info.net/
In this interview of Fred Wilson by Jason Calacanis, they chat about VCs, investing, startups, Apple, Kickstarter, blogging, Net Neutrality and more.

On blogging, Wilson remarks that it helps him articulate what he is thinking (at 48 min). He also later talks about how many people worry if they will end up in his blog

At 19 minutes Wilson speaks about NYC startups. Doubleclick was the first big NYC startup. Now there are more startups in NYC. Today, people realize that not being in Silicon Valley doesn't mean that you can't do a startup (or find VC money).

At 30 minutes, he is discusses mesh networks. In Portugal, buses are installing access points by Veniam that are creating a mesh wi-fi network for the town. Wilson invested in Veniam. It was mentioned in a TED talk.

"You have to have the Hustle."

Wilson comments on building a great product. He mentions tumblr at 24 minutes as an example of a company focused on delivering a great product. Wilson believes in the value of having a really great product! Engineering and product teams are a requirement for a sustainable company. Importance of a Product team should not be overlooked.

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EarthLink Has Embraced Retailtag:blog.tmcnet.com,2015:/on-rads-radar//51.526132015-01-07T17:53:23Z2015-01-07T21:18:40Z EarthLink has really embraced retail. For the last couple of years, they have been putting a package together around MPLS over DSL for PCI Compliance. Now they have added a Managed Wi-Fi service - that they were pimping at...Peterhttp://rad-info.net/
EarthLink has really embraced retail. For the last couple of years, they have been putting a package together around MPLS over DSL for PCI Compliance. Now they have added a Managed Wi-Fi service - that they were pimping at the National Retail Federation show (last year). This is one way to tackle a vertical and make a name for yourself (positioning).

""Consumers are already using their mobile devices in-store to enhance their shopping experience. With EarthLink WiFi/WIPS, retailers can roll out corporate applications to connect with those consumers and service them more efficiently, while gathering valuable data for marketing and store operations," said Greg Griffiths, EarthLink Vice President of Retail Solutions."

It's the analytics that make it sing for the retailer. "Presence analytics: Provides visibility into mobile Wi-Fi usage and traffic statistics that retailers can use to analyze shopping behavior." In other words, this lets them know if they are browsing competitors sites for pricing; if they are repeat customers; etc.

Since mobility and analytics are top trends for 2015 via Gartner, this knocks out 2 of them in one service.

Thanks to Rogers Clawson at GCN for the note about this service.

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End of Year Tidbitstag:blog.tmcnet.com,2014:/on-rads-radar//51.525862014-12-22T17:44:06Z2014-12-22T18:47:38Z Stop watching the news. Seriously. It's nothing but depressing stuff. It is no way to end the day (go to sleep) or no way to start the day. Read something for 15 minutes instead. Want some ideas? Seth's blog...Peterhttp://rad-info.net/
Stop watching the news. Seriously. It's nothing but depressing stuff. It is no way to end the day (go to sleep) or no way to start the day. Read something for 15 minutes instead. Want some ideas?

Connecticut - now a Frontier territory - is trying to become a Gigabit state. Interesting since Frontier's DSL has had numerous complaints since it took over AT&T's network and the cablecos don't feel the need to deploy or service their customers - because, hey, what are you going to do, go back to DSL? It is this lack of competition that is causing so many issues which the FCC has to decide on. To go from where they are now to a Gigabit state will be huge endeavor. Good luck! (I am from CT and TMC is HQ'ed in CT.)

A friend of mine is launching an Internet Cafe and learning center in Nepal on IndieGoGo.

One thing to learn from the Sony hack: password management at the very least. Have you changed even one password in the last 30 days?

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What Did I Miss Part 34tag:blog.tmcnet.com,2014:/on-rads-radar//51.523462014-09-04T17:32:33Z2014-09-04T18:19:38Z Merger Details Emerge In the mix of the Comcast-TWC merger will emerge a new MSO created by divestitures and swaps called GreatLand Connections, previously called SpinCo. Charter will own one-third and operate it, says Telecompetitor. The FCC has received...Peterhttp://rad-info.net/Merger Details Emerge

The FCC has received a lot of comments on this merger docket and many are anti-merger. I think it would be a mess for consumers - and the result would be a much larger Comcast that is too large already. If anything, Charter should be the entity that mergers with TWC. I don't see how this merger has any public good involved.

Business Texter was at ITEXPO and presented at Startup Camp. BizTexter is a way for businesses (think dry cleaners, restaurants, hardware stores) to respond to their customers via text messages. It has a developing artificial intelligence that allows for automatic responses to frequently asked questions, like what time do you close; directions; today's specials. It is an interesting way to take the tech and enable it to actually help businesses serve customers.

ADTRAN has launched a managed Wi-Fi solution. The controller of the Access Points (APs) are on a server on premise or in the cloud. ADTRAN licenses the software that controls the APs. The service is called ProCloud, which is being marketed to Tier 2 and Tier 3 service providers to own and manage hosted wi-fi for businesses (and collect some MRR). ADTRAN will offer the whole bucket - APs, controller, help desk, PS - soup to nuts from Adtran with the software running in their data center.

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An Australian company is offering a $129 PBX with wi-fi router. That is low!
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If Mobile is Everythingtag:blog.tmcnet.com,2013:/on-rads-radar//51.516482013-12-02T19:35:36Z2013-12-02T21:36:18Z Fred Wilson repeats that Mobile is Eating the World. It might be just what I am reading (my influence bias). It's all about tablets or smartphones. Where does that leave your business in 2 or 3 years? The Internet...Peterhttp://rad-info.net/
Fred Wilson repeats that Mobile is Eating the World. It might be just what I am reading (my influence bias). It's all about tablets or smartphones. Where does that leave your business in 2 or 3 years?

The Internet of Everything is like putting M2M (machine-to-machine communications) on steroids. Bridges are being built with nanotech sensors in order to get a warning when the bridge structure is in need of repair.

More and more sensors connecting everything. Shoes, wristwatches, cars, cameras, thermostats and door locks are just some of the always-on connected things that will be eating up wireless capacity on one band or another. The FCC is setting up the next spectrum auction now - AWS-3 (1755-1780 MHz and 2155-2180 MHz). Cellcos in the US want 500 MHz of spectrum.

VZW is sitting on its A-block and B-block 700 MHz band (humorously called 5G) as well as 40 MHz of AWS bands. Other cellcos are deploying 1.8 GHz, 1.9 GHz and 2.x GHz, device radios will need to read a lot of spectrum (from 700 to 2600 MHz). Why? Current VZW LTE is the only one on 700 MHz bands, so customers can only roam to 3G networks. Also, no other carrier can roam to VZW 4G since the radios in the phones can't read that spectrum band. It's like early Sprint 4G phones that only connected to Clearwire WiMax. Worthless bricks now that Clearwire is mostly LTE.

And that is just phone spectrum. The FCC freed up 5 GHz for unlicensed wi-fi, since a majority of the devices attach to wireless networks (WLAN) at homes, businesses, coffee shops, malls, etc. Wi-fi offload is what is helping the cellcos now. The problem will be that there will be too many devices attached to the WLAN (especially at home) and then what? Consumers aren't going to be able to manage a WLAN.

Then you have wearable tech. All those pieces of gear - like Google Glass, Nike Fuel band, Fitbit, etc. - all chewing up Bluetooth or other frequencies. RFID tags and so much more in the way of home health monitoring, home security, personal security, personal health, yadda. We will be eating up a lot of spectrum.

So if all of this Connectedness is the wave, what happens to the UC players, MVNOs, CLECs and other service providers without a mobile strategy? There isn't profit in being an MVNO or a reseller so in the Internet of Things, what will you do to capitalize on the Mobile Connected World?

There is plenty of opportunity in managed services, training, repair and the like. However, for those thinking that they just need an app to take care of that: you might want to re-think that.

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Predictions for 2013tag:blog.tmcnet.com,2012:/on-rads-radar//51.504532012-12-19T19:15:00Z2012-12-19T21:08:50ZCenturyLink Biz has an ebook out with predictions for 2013 and beyond. M2M, mobility, cloud - all just mind blowing stuff . It's prediction time obviously. Let me say that 2013 can go a couple of ways - DC gets...Peterhttp://rad-info.net/

CenturyLink Biz has an ebook out with predictions for 2013 and beyond. M2M, mobility, cloud - all just mind blowing stuff . It's prediction time obviously. Let me say that 2013 can go a couple of ways - DC gets its collective act together to improve the financial situation or it doesn't. The economy will swing with either path - good or bad. We have already seen layoffs and threats of more. The only positive I see is bankers actually being penalize for fraud. That said what is in store for 2013?

Well, the FCC's pace for any case is slow and slower, so they will likely not get to the copper clipping and IP transition until 3Q2013 at the earliest. meanwhile, CLEC's have to be vigilante to document cases of copper clipping, because all the money that they - Integra, Megapath, TelePacific, XO, Windstream - have invested in EoC doesn't work without said copper. I think they will be fine until 2014 on this.

That said, CLEC's have to accelerate their plans for OTT services like cloud and Managed IT. When the copper plant disappears, wholesale (from fiber providers and cablecos) will get expensive. The money will be in Layer 7. I have often said that it was going to be Layer 1 or Layer 7. Without a network that you own, it will be a fight for apps and services. Everything will look like Office 365 - where 42,000 Microsoft partners are selling it for very little margin.

Here's the thing: more businesses are moving to the cloud for so many reasons - mobility just being one of them. Some CLEC's, VARs and even Agents will migrate to a cloud services brokerage model. That will work for slinging Hosted Exchange, SharePoint, CRM, simple backup, even VPS. Network will become a separate sale and negotiation.

I'm still shocked that no one has rolled out vertically based integrated bundles yet.

So mobility will still be huge in 2013, but with the new shared data plans, the monthly bill will be increasing, so businesses (and consumers) will be looking for alternatives. Wi-fi will be significant. When you add in mobile data caps and consumer cable caps - and metering - there will be a net effect on cloud services and OTT services.

When you examine the backlash yesterday on the Instagram privacy gaff (right after Facebook finished acquiring them for $715M), you have to wonder how much longer the online phenomenon continues. Privacy is non-existent. You have to be off-the-grid and paying with cash to be beyond corporate and government spying. I think we will see a little more backlash in 2013 - enough that FB and other companies see a dip in usage and corresponding advertising sales. Have FB and twitter peaked?

The companies to watch in 2013:

RIM and Alcatel because they are re-inventing;

Avaya because of its crushing debt;

Bright House due to its Telovations acquisition and to see if it is the first cableco to chase business outside of its region;

8x8 and similar OTT Hosted PBX players like FreedomIQ;

the Cloud Communications Alliance, especially the members who have not been acquired yet. If Hosted PBX doesn't explode in 2013, it never will;

Sprint because Clearwire+DISH+Softbank = a big ugly mess with Hesse;

Verizon but specifically its OTT hosted PBX service, VCE;

Dell as it continues its shift to cloud services from hardware;

Tech Data - between TDmobility and the Microcorp deal - 2013 will be telling;

AirWatch since MDM is huge and they are being sued;

Master Agencies that have to figure out relevancy in 2013.

For Agents and VARs, 2013 is the year they have to put a plan together. No more waiting. Too many VAR's are already jumping on the telecom/network bandwagon and not nearly enough Agents are jumping into the Managed Services and Cloud space. For Agents, 2 resolutions for 2013 would be (1) partner with a VAR or two; and (2) cross-sell services to grab more of the total wallet share of your customers. Look to revenue per customer and lifetime value of each customer as the most important metrics. (Mainly because they are.)

For VAR's, they have seen some big changes from Microsoft - Small Business Server's end of life as well as the way Office 365 was sold. VAR's also witnessed CLEC's - like Cbeyond and EarthLink - make a big splash in launching managed services and cloud offerings. In 2013, VARs will need network/telecom to make up for the revenue dips. Locally in Tampa, we have seen some Microsoft partners go to programming and integration services in place of the old model of SBS and Exchange. For all of cloud adoption, Integration is the key to any business process outcomes. There aren't nearly enough programmers to do all the necessary integration.

In the Google world, there are companies making money supporting and integrating Google Apps. Backupify, Batchbook, Insightly are just 3 companies that integrate with Google Apps for CRM and backup. As this ecosystem becomes more complete, Microcorp's deal with NeoNova could prove brilliant.

It is this type of package or bundle that most businesses want. Do they want stand-alone Hosted Exchange? Notsomuch. They want a complete package of inter-working software - the Hosted PBX integrated with Outlook and the browser - like they have on their smartphone!! It confuses me that the smartphone is more integrated than a laptop, Mac or desktop.

They want their CRM to integrate with all of it too. If Xobni can pull in all that social data, why can't a plug-in for CRM?

It's this complete solution that is needed. No idea what company will roll it out first or if it will be in 2013.

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Combatting Mobile Datatag:blog.tmcnet.com,2012:/on-rads-radar//51.494132012-05-24T02:02:06Z2012-05-24T02:40:01ZHow do you offer your broadband customers mobile access? There are a couple of options. One is MVNO, reselling cellular data cards to your customers. This is a very expensive option. No margin, but stickiness for your bundle.Another way is...Peterhttp://rad-info.net/

How do you offer your broadband customers mobile access? There are a couple of options. One is MVNO, reselling cellular data cards to your customers. This is a very expensive option. No margin, but stickiness for your bundle.

Another way is to use hotspots. Hotspots are good advertising for your ISP and can even get you some new revenue from hourly or daily users. The cablecos have done that in-region but have now decided to having roaming wi-fi hotspot contracts with the other cablecos. TWC, Bright House, Comcast, Cablevision and Cox will be able to log in to each other's Wi-Fi hotspots - a total of 50,000 hotspots.

I guess AT&T will have to change this statement: "With AT&T Wi-Fi access included at thousands of hotspots nationwide. Cable can't provide that!"

AT&T acquired Wayport years ago and eventually supplanted T-Mobile as the wi-fi provider for Starbucks. AT&T owns more than 20,000 hotspots in the US, including McDonald's, Fedex/Kinkos, and Hilton locations. Wi-Fi access is included for iPhone users on AT&T and for certain other AT&T Mobility and AT&T High Speed Internet service. AT&T uses wi-fi to offload traffic from their overloaded cell network.

"Verizon Wi-Fi for High Speed Internet is a free service that enables qualified Verizon High Speed Internet subscribers to access the internet at thousands of public places known as Wi-Fi hotspots . This wireless service is not intended to be used from your home, but to be used while on-the-go." No idea how many or where, but the locator is here.

Two things are interesting. The top 5 or six cablecos are starting to work together, deliver the same services (usually with the same vendor) like home automation and security, and inter-connect with NNI's. Soon the cablecos will have a nationwide footprint that looks homegenous. The other is that the cablecos are starting to look more and more like the ILECs.

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Polycom Gets Some Cashtag:blog.tmcnet.com,2012:/on-rads-radar//51.493432012-05-11T17:22:31Z2012-05-11T19:00:28ZSo Polycom announced that they will "divest its enterprise wireless voice solutions business to an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners, Inc. for gross proceeds of approximately $110 million in cash." I was confused by this until I realized it is...Peterhttp://rad-info.net/
So Polycom announced that they will "divest its enterprise wireless voice solutions business to an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners, Inc. for gross proceeds of approximately $110 million in cash." I was confused by this until I realized it is a sliver of their business and represents DECT and Wi-Fi handsets only.

Polycom is in the process of remaking themselves from a hardware IP Phone company to a video conferencing solution provider. This was a way to get some cash and start selling off pieces of the business that don't fit that focus.

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Where Will the Revenue Come From?tag:blog.tmcnet.com,2012:/on-rads-radar//51.489122012-03-02T16:00:45Z2012-03-02T19:06:30ZThe screaming you hear is coming from execs at the global cellcos. For years we have been hearing how voice will be free. (Hasn't happened yet, but it has flat rated.) Now it seems the text messaging revenue arm is...Peterhttp://rad-info.net/
The screaming you hear is coming from execs at the global cellcos. For years we have been hearing how voice will be free. (Hasn't happened yet, but it has flat rated.) Now it seems the text messaging revenue arm is decreasing - 9% from last year globally.

According to this article, "Pinger and an explosion of smartphone messaging services -- like iMessage, BlackBerry Messenger, WhatsApp, Viber Media, Facebook Messenger and KakaoTalk -- have managed in just a few years to slash away at the important revenue that cell phone companies get from text messaging. Analysts say there's no end in sight to the financial blood letting."

This explains all the metering and bandwidth caps. Revenue is flat for cellular so they need to make it up in data revenue. When you are spending $7-9 Billion per year on the network, plus paying for roaming and having to buy spectrum, you want ARPU and revenue to go up.

There is also all this envy to Apple, Google and other cloud companies that are making money from apps, shopping and usage that the cellcos are not getting a piece of.

I think it is also why a good many cell phones do not have wi-fi. That tends to work two ways though: wi-fi is capacity offload while the customer is still paying you a monthly rate. Wi-fi upload may be how they save some money on capacity upgrades. Wi-fi capability in teh handset would also be a way to appease the folks who get throttled or capped. However, that doesn't help the carrier revenues. They just don't want to be a dump pipe, but every move they make seems dumb.